Do you need backups? You might already have them.
Woof! I recently was contacted by a dog rescue that lives in my area. She was looking for somebody to look at their computer because it had been "acting funny for a while" and that they had all of their important business files on it. They were wondering if I could come rescue it. I was happy to offer my services, but I cringed inside. Imagine losing all those years of hard work!
Have you ever lost a wallet or a purse? The pain isn't the lost cash. The pain is the hours of canceling credit cards, trips to the DMV, and the things you use every day. Except when you lose your data you lose invoices, client files, spreadsheets, workflow, and all the different tools you've acquired over the years. Luckily, you might already have what you need. And if you don't, you can start for free.
A lot of us run our business on Microsoft 365: Word, Excel, Outlook. If that sounds like you, there's a good chance you already have access to OneDrive. OneDrive keeps your files stored in the cloud and even syncs your files to your desktop. So you never have to worry about manually saving anything. If you pay for Microsoft 365 you have up to 1 TB of storage. That's a lot for a small business.
If you use Gmail or Google Workspace for your business email, you already have Google Drive, which is very similar to how OneDrive works. If you are still using that @gmail.com email address for your business. Guess what, you still have up to 15 GB of storage! That's plenty for your important files.
Have you ever used iCloud or Google Photos to back up your photos on your phone? You are already using the same system that can back up your files.
Is your business big enough to have an IT department? No?
When you picture a backup system, you might think of a server room. Floor-to-ceiling racks, cables running everywhere, blinking lights, a cold room with a locked door. The kind of setup that needs its own IT staff just to keep the lights on. You're probably picturing a Google server farm. A two-to-ten person office likely doesn't need a rack-based backup system. There is a lot of literature out there talking about amazing and slick backup systems. All kinds of bells and whistles. And those systems are cool. But they really just aren't needed for most small businesses. With the amount of space you can get for a low or no cost, you'll have plenty of warning before you have to think about moving to something more specialized.
Here are some resources for you if you do have a Gmail or Microsoft 365 environment.
Microsoft: If you have Microsoft 365, you already have OneDrive. Find it in your system tray (bottom right of your screen on Windows), then:
Click settings.
Find "Back up your folders" under the Sync and backup tab.
Make sure Documents and Desktop are selected.
Done. You can now access those files from your desktop, a browser, or your phone. Here is the official Microsoft 365 doc. It's nice if you're a visual person.
Google: If you have Google Workspace, or even just a @gmail.com address, you already have Google Drive.
Install Google Drive for Desktop.
Sign in.
Choose which folders on your PC you want to sync.
Done. Here's Google's guide.
Mac: Don't have either, but you're on a Mac? You probably already have iCloud Drive ready to go.
Open System Settings, click your name.
Click iCloud, then Drive.
Turn on "Desktop & Documents Folders."
Now you're just as protected as those Windows people. Here's Apple's guide.
Starting from zero: What if you still have that old @hotmail.com handle? Well it might be time to at least move to Gmail. And good news, when you do, you'll have access to 15 GB for free. Now you can back up your important files for your business and you can sell that antique Hotmail handle!
Once you're set up, follow the Google path above.
If you give any of these a try, you may have years of files needing to sync up to the cloud. Give it at least a night to sync up before you call your friendly local IT support.
This doesn't work quite as well for certain industries. If you work in healthcare, finance, or you are required by law to protect certain customer data, you will need a more specialized system. Luckily there are cheaper alternatives out there. There are actually cloud-based backup systems. They can be a little more expensive, but you still don't have to invest in a server farm.
A few examples would be if you work with large amounts of files (think videos, high quality photos, etc). You will eventually outgrow these options. If you are running a server or business software that has a database, point of sale systems, stuff like that, it's also a different setup. A good rule of thumb, if you couldn't wait a week for your business documents to be restored, then you might want to look into something more elaborate to protect your business. And if you are one of those businesses and you are reading this... I urge you to go look into those options right now!
File sync is not truly a backup system. It's fantastic technology that fills the gap and gives small businesses the chance to hold off until they have grown enough to need something more complex.
Got questions about any of this? Send a note to joel@freshfromcache.com. New posts also go out through the newsletter. Sign up at freshfromcache.com if you want them in your inbox.
Thanks for reading.
Joel - Fresh From Cache